Gaming machines, such as slot machines and video poker machines, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Shrewd operators strive to monitor the amount of play of different types of gaming machines and manage the availability of gaming machines since profitability depends on having desirable gaming machines available for play. For example, it is desirable to identify a malfunctioning a gaming machine as soon as possible after the onset of a malfunction that takes it out of service so that corrective action can be quickly taken. Also, operators desire to make sure the most profitable and/or popular gaming machines are available for play. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new techniques for monitoring and displaying the status of gaming machines so that operators can effectively manage gaming machines.